Advent Miasma
by Master-of-Omega
Summary: Crystal Bearers fic. The world is changing. The return of the Yukes had brought the magic back, and now an evil long forgotten is gaining strength. Can anyone stop it from destroying us all? On Hold...
1. Chapter 1

Well, I just finished Crystal Bearers. Pretty short, but a good game nonetheless. The mini-games are probably the best part, but I did like the story. The throwing mechanic was cool too, and second play-throughs are always a good thing, not to mention third and fourth! I've had to do a complete rewrite of this fic, with new characters, plot, and everything, but hey, I only had a few chapters actually planned out anyway. Without further ado, I present to you: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Advent Miasma.

I do not own Final Fantasy or anything therein.

**~*~0~*~**

**Prologue**

_Layle, where are you?_ Belle sat at a table in the bar, exhausted after searching all day. Again. For the sixth day in row. Of the second week since that day. Keiss was trying to get her give up, saying that Layle had to be dead. But that couldn't be. They found Jegran's body, but never Layle's, if he had died he would have been there too. But... Jegran was just a charred corpse, they weren't even sure it was him at first. Keiss said that Layle, being so much smaller than him, must have been incinerated. But he couldn't be dead. She could feel it, she knew he was out there, somewhere. _Besides,_ she thought to herself, _he owes me, he wouldn't just leave a debt behind. He wouldn't..._

She had searched everywhere, from Bridge Town to the Selkie Guild and back again. She had looked under every rock, in every nook and cranny, she had even been to some of the islands off the coast to look for him. That had proven a bad idea. Turns out there are a LOT more monsters out there than on the main continent, even some new breeds. She had made a nice 30,000 gil for the info, but hadn't found a clue to Layle. And she had found someone who said when her hat blew off on a cruise, someone grabbed it with magic and brought it back, it had to be Layle! There were a couple of leads like that, but they were always dead ends...

The bartender brought her the banana smoothie she ordered, and she was barely able to sip it. The bartender sighed and walked away. She glared after him, she didn't need his pity! Then she noticed something. This one Selkie way in the back. He had red hair and was wearing all black; he was looking around anxiously, like he was making sure he wasn't being watched. Then he just got up and walked out, looking over his shoulder as he did. Belle left some gil on the table and followed, this guy reeked of info. She followed him to some remote part of the Guild, a small cove behind the boat. He looked around again, making sure he wasn't being watched. Of course he was, Belle was very good at hiding, but he thought it was safe, so he took out a stone disc with a black jewel in the center.

He waved his hand above it, and miasma swirled around it, creating a circular window that glowed red. _**"Have You Found Him, Assassin?"**_ A deep, demonic voice spoke to the Selkie, who shook his head.

"Unfortunately, no."

_**"NO?!" **_the window flared as the voice bellowed. _**"You Said You Could Track Layle's Crystal! How Could You Not Have Found That Bastard Yet?!"**_

"Now hold on," the man said casually, apparently unfazed by the voice's anger, "I _can_ track his crystal, but things have gotten... complicated."

_**"Oh? Now This I Must Hear."**_

"Since those Yukes have come back, so has the magic. Now anyone can use the stuff. But it takes years to learn spells, and those Yukes had a way around that. They showed the other Tribes how to make this stuff called Materia, crystallized magic. Just hold it and say a spell, and boom, instant gratification magic." He ran a hand through his hair before continuing, "and that's not all. There are two types of the stuff. Military, the kind I just told you about, and Economic. These are basically Crystal substitute, they can be used to run Crystal Reactors. Cid's steam engine isn't as popular it seems. Worse yet, they're using it for other stuff too. I've seen some attached to walls, just wave a hand over 'em and the turn on and off. They've replaced light bulbs. I can't believe that in just two weeks these things have gotten everywhere! I can't single out his crystal."

_**"... I See. Adopt Another Tact Then, He's Been Closing My Miasma Streams, Find A Big One And Wait."**_

"Uh, not so easy for me, I can't sit still that long. Just summon up a big bad monster to do it. Behemoth Kings would do well."

_**"I Will Work On It, Keep Looking In The Meantime."**_ Then the miasma dissipated and the man put the disc in his pocket. He summoned some miasma and created a portal, closing it behind him. Belle just stood there, shocked by what she had seen. She had been right about info, but just what had she stumbled onto? She had proof now, Layle was out there. But he was being hunted! And by something that can control miasma no less! What the Hell is going on?!

~*~

Meanwhile, a Clavat in a gray coat was hanging from the ceiling of a cave, mostly bored and considering his options. He still had a good deal of Miasma Streams to close, but he had to find Jegran's crystal. The Hostile took it and disappeared into a Miasma Stream while he was off the monsters. He decided to call him "Blade", he had been carrying two short swords when he showed up. He was clearly a Clavat, but he had this weird aura about him. And then there was that Aegyl. The Aegyl, he hadn't even known they existed. They could easily be mistaken for a Clavat or Selkie, if not for one very notable feature: they had wings. After his fight with Jegran, Layle was sure he was done for. But then, as they grappled while falling to a certain death, there was a sudden blast of light. Next he knew he was surrounded by light, and could barely make out a figure clad in golden armor. At first he thought he was dead, especially since his wounds were gone, when the figure spoke.

"Layle, Bearer of Gravity," it was a female, "fear not, you have not yet left the realm of the living." Layle could just barely make out the knight in front of him, as the light was getting brighter. "I am one of the Aegyl, servants of the Lady Mio, Crafter of the Crystals. Time is short Layle, the Darkness grows ever stronger, and with the Principal of Magic restored, his power will be increased tenfold." Her voice was beginning to fade. "Close the Miasma Streams and find Jegran's crystal, I will contact you when the time arrives. Until then."

That's when he woke up in the ruins under the Victory Monument. He had been closing the streams, but still had no idea what was going on. He decided not to go find the others, whatever this was, it sounded pretty bad. He couldn't get them dragged into this. He used his powers to levitate to the ground, his powers were way stronger now that the Yuke Crystal had been restored. It was easier to focus now, and he could fly through the air whenever he wanted to. That had to be the greatest sensation in whole world. It was indescribable, you just had to feel it. He walked out of the cave and took off, careful that no one would see. He had to find more streams.

~*~

"I'm telling you, I saw what I saw!" Belle had been trying to get Keiss to believe her, but it was a little far fetched. A red-headed Selkie that could control miasma? Riiiight.

"And I'm telling _you_, that you've lost your mind." Keiss said without even looking up from the paper in his hands. "You've been looking for two weeks, and now you've gone and fooled yourself into thinking he's being hunted by someone who doesn't exist. I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner." Belle grabbed him by his hair and shook him around.

"I am not Crazy!!!" Keiss yelped in pain as she shook him with every word. Eventually he broke free, but she got a clump of his hair.

"It's not very convincing when you shake me by my hair you know! I'll look into it, but only on one condition. When no info comes back and you realize you're nuts, you owe me 100,000 gil." Belle smiled, she was going to be rich after this.

"So," she chirped, "when _you_ realize I'm not nuts, I get 100K?" Keiss sighed, she was nuts alright.

"Yeah, that's right. But I'm the one who's getting rich off this." He walked to the railing over the Selkies that were searching the records. "Alright, listen up! Missing person, red-haired Selkie, can control Miasma, info's 3,000 gil. That's all." He walked over to Belle who was looking at him weird.

"Only 3,000? That Yuke was ten, wasn't she?" Keiss nodded.

"Yeah, but she was real."

~*~

A Selkic man in black walked through the endless trees of the Forbidden Forest, lead by the miasma surging from the stream deep within the heart of the woods. Monsters swarmed around him, but did not strike; they knew he served their master. The man put out his finger as a black wasp flew near; it landed on his finger and began making buzzing noises. The man nodded and the wasp flew away, off to look for the Bearer.

"With a stream this big," he mused, "Layle won't be the only one walking into an early grave." He signaled an Mythril Giant, a stronger variant of the Iron Giant, and stepped into it's palm, then climbing up onto it's head, made himself as cozy as one could on a giant metal head.

~*~

Layle walked through Alfitaria, looking for some sort of clue as to where Blade went. He had to be careful, if anyone recognized him he would never be able to explain this to the others. He had been to the Monastery and got himself a robe, it was unbelievably hot, but he did need to keep a low profile. And everybody knew not to bother a pilgrim, it was one of those unwritten rules that applied across the continent. There were a lot of Yukes living here now, most were back in that pocket dimension, but they were coming here soon enough. Just as soon as a replica Sky City can be made at least. He decided to take a break and sat on a nearby bench. He sighed, just what had he gotten mixed up in now? Things were getting tougher, that much was certain. The monsters coming out of the Miasma Streams were getting more and more powerful, but with the new materia they weren't that big of a threat. Layle had "borrowed" a couple, and they had been useful. He had a Cure, which was able to heal small wounds, a Fire, letting him shoot small fireballs, and a summoning materia for a Steel Wolf, a very helpful ally on the battlefield.

After a few moments of resting he decided to take a look at what was happening in the world. He walked over to one of the jumbotrons in the wall and sat in the bench by it. And when the news came on he could hardly believe his eyes. It was covering a story on a massive Miasma Stream in the Forbidden Woods, and a recent attempt to clear it out. _"The Monsters that have been reported in this area are nearly all found in regions miles away from the woods, and have never been appeared here before. While no one is truly sure what this means, it is disturbing development indeed. What's more, the miasma has not cleared since it appeared, nearly 13 hours ago, and dose not appear to be thinning, but actually thickening. A full platoon of Royal Soldiers, armed with the military standard crystal rifles and experimental materia bullets, was quickly routed upon entering, with only a handful surviving."_

Layle had his next target.

~*~

"I... Don't believe it..." One of the Selkies looking into Belle's Mystery Man handed Keiss a photograph one of the surviving soldiers took before escaping the woods. The picture was blurry, you try taking a good shot while running for your life, but it was clearly someone with red hair sitting on the head of one of the larger monsters. Belle heard him earlier and had come running, she knew she had won.

"Told you." Keiss let his head hang in defeat, now he was out 100,000! "So, the Forbidden Woods huh? Guess I'm off, see ya!" She was out the door before Keiss could say a word, what she didn't know was that the place was infested with powerful monsters.

"B-Belle! Wait!" She couldn't hear him from the other side of the guild unfortunately.

**~*~0~*~**

Well, there you have it. The first chapter of Advent Miasma, I hope you liked it! Leave a review telling me what you think, plus it's the only way I know someone's actually reading this. Criticism is welcome, If there's anything you think I can improve on, I'd love to know. Stay tuned for the next chapter!


	2. War in the Woods

Sweet Mio! I wasn't exactly expecting so many reviews so soon! My old one was six months old with no reviews! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Chapter two coming at you, though I won't guarantee consistent updates, I only have a few chapters planned out. If I already knew how it was going to go I wouldn't be able to get the motivation to write it!

But I digress.

**~*~0~*~**

**War in the Woods**

Layle, hidden from view in one of the trees, considered going back to the city and getting some more materia. They weren't kidding about the diversity of monsters, there were Iron Giants and Behemoths, Skeletons and Bombs, and he had seen a flying nail earlier, meaning there were Tonberries around somewhere too. He could take them, no doubt, but he wouldn't walk away unhurt. He had seen three platoons of soldiers on his way here, they would be here soon, and then he would make his move. Until then he would have to stay out of sight, he wouldn't be able to hold out long against these guys.

~*~

The Selkic man looked out on the monsters from his perch on the Mythril Giant's head, waiting for his prey. The Alfitarians were an enjoyable distraction, but they died all too quickly. He didn't even get a shot off, the monsters did all the work. This was getting kind of... Boring. While he sat there bored out of his mind, the stone disc in his pocket began vibrating. He pulled it out and the miasma formed a window as before.

_"Metus,"_ a cold voice spoke, _"report."_ The Selkie, Metus, jumped at the voice coming from the miasma.

"Ferum! Been a while eh? You got sent in too?"

_"Indeed, along with four others. Lord Rajak will not accept failure twice in one world." _At those words unwanted memories of a failed mission flooded Metus' mind. _"But that is not why I am contacting you. The Employer wants to know if you have eliminated the target yet."_

"Weeeell..." he began uncomfortably, "not yet, but I did wipe out some Alfitarians." The voice on the other side mumbled something before replying.

_"Just kill the Bearer."_ And with that the miasma dissipated and Metus put the disc back in his pocket, then sighed. That guy had to learn to get his mind off work.

~*~

Belle, having stolen a chocobo, was making good time on her way to the forest, but she ran into the legion of soldiers on her way there. They insisted she turn back and wouldn't even let her have a word in edgewise, so she left.

Or so they thought.

She had actually ditched the chocobo and hidden in their supply wagon, they were going where she was, so it worked out fine for her! She decided to help herself to some of the food they had, seeing that they were so hardheaded in trying to get her to leave. She heard some of the soldiers outside talking about how they were almost there and that since the last group was decimated they brought a surplus of military grade materia just in case. Belle decided that if they had a surplus, they wouldn't mind if she took a few. She grabbed a pistol while she was at it, she would need a way defend herself after all.

~*~

Layle had been jumping from tree to tree, trying to stay out of sight from the monsters below. He had nearly been found three times now, but then he noticed the monsters were heading south. One of the goblins yelled to the others that the Alfitarians were here. Perfect. He jumped across the trees until he found a group of Behemoths and goblin Shamans marching south. That's when he made his move. He jumped down and grabbed a Behemoth with his powers, tossing him into some Shamans. He landed on another Behemoth and kicked it's sides. Then, just like a chocobo, the monster sped forward, crashing into everything in it's path. Layle watched as goblins were sent flying into trees, this was fun.

~*~

What Layle didn't know was that he was being watched. Metus had seen this from his Giant, and noticed that Layle hadn't seen him.

"Showtime." Eight, boney spider-like limbs burst from his back as he jumped to a tree, climbing it in no time as his extra limbs dug into the wood. When he reached the top he dissipated them into miasma and formed a sniper rifle from it. He crouched down and took aim, waiting for the right moment to pull the trigger.

~*~

A goblin Samurai slashed at Layle, quickly being tossed into a tree and breaking it's neck. He used his powers to grab one of the Behemoths and threw it at a group of Tonberries, who were quickly crushed under it's weight.

But he had forgotten the Cursed Spike.

Out of nowhere it hit him, pinning his left arm to a tree. They weren't called Silent Killers for nothing. He forced it out and threw it at an Iron Horn, a stronger version of the Beetle monster. The spike crushed through it's hard shell and the creature turned to miasma. That's when the Iron Giants took notice. Three of the lumbering giants moved towards him, blades in hand. One of them made a lunge for him, missing entirely, but then the other two double teamed him. One of them swept it's sword across the ground, forcing him into the air, where the other's blade swung down and crushed him into the earth.

He struggled to his feet and used a cure spell, healing slightly. He jumped away before they could get another hit in and put some distance between them, pulling out his summon materia. The materia started to glow and a portal opened in front of him, eventually dissipating and leaving an armored wolf in it's place. The wolf dashed off to deal with the goblins while it's master took care of the giants. Layle used his powers to spin the gear on their backs, putting them into reverse. After a moment of disorientation, they figured out how to work their bodies again, just in time for Layle to flip them into normal. This time one of them fell over and crushed an unfortunate Mu.

Meanwhile the Steel Wolf was dealing with the Cursed Spike, trying to find the puppeteer. It was killing goblins left and right, while dealing decent damage against the Tonberries. Still, there were at least half a thousand monsters here, and this was going to be a lengthy battle.

~*~

"Hold still dammit." Metus was trying to get a bead on Layle, but the guy wouldn't stop moving! And when he did stop he was behind a tree or something, never in the clearing he was supposed to be in! Then he heard screaming and looked to his right.

Alfitarian soldiers. Lots of 'em.

There looked to be about a hundred of them, give or take, and they were doing fairly well. He could see creature returning to miasma, and he noticed that most were able to hold their ground. Still, nothing to fret over, they would be wiped out soon enough.

But there was one thing bothering him.

A Selkie woman in orange, away from the main battle, was advancing on his position. Had he been seen? No, that didn't seem to be the case, she was glancing around nervously, not once looking in his direction. And she seemed somehow... _familiar_. That's when it hit him, she was that gloomy woman at the Selkie Guild! He had noticed her on the way out, and thought she may have been following him for a while after.

"How in?" Maybe... she should be eliminated... He shook his head, Layle first, then he'd deal with her.

~*~

Belle ducked behind a tree, unaware she had already been seen. She didn't want to get stuck in a fight with more than one or two monsters, but in this mob she wasn't going to find less than five at once. So she decided to hide. She counted up what she swiped from the supply wagon; Ice, Clear, and Poison materia, along with a pistol that was more for show than anything else. She couldn't grab a rifle, no, she grabbed something so weak it could barely kill a goblin. And even they took at least five shots!

She looked around the tree and was met by the piercing yellow eyes of a wild wolf. Not the most pleasant thing in the world. It snarled and leapt for it's prey, while Belle took aim and pulled the trigger.

_Click_

That's when she realized something. While she _had_ stolen a gun, albeit a weak one, she hadn't stolen any _ammo_.

~*~

Layle had killed off the Iron Giants that had ambushed him, but now he had the Mythril Giant to deal with. The miasma stream was directly above them in a large clearing. The Steel Wolf had taken out most of the enemies around them, and was keeping those that remained from interfering.

The Mythril Giant was light blue with heavy duty spiked armor and a flattened helm crowned with black spikes. The eyes were little more than slits in the face of the helm, but an eerie green light shone behind them. In it's right hand was a heavy maul, while it's left held a large buckler. Layle noticed something different from the other Iron Giants, however. This creature didn't have a gear on it's back, instead were decorative spikes. He would have to be careful.

The beast let out a deep chuckle as it slowly advanced, the earth shaking with every step. It lifted the massive maul into the air and slammed it down with terrible force, sending a shower of rocks in every direction. Layle used his power to send the rock back at the monster while dashing forward. The giant reared back as it was struck by the countless stones, when Layle laid into it with a quick barrage of gravity powered punches.

He jumped back to avoid being swatted by it's maul, and charged up a Graviga to end this. "Let's end this!" With that he released and a dome of dark blue energy appeared over the Mythril Giant, increasing gravity to ten times normal. The Giant began to crush through the ground, at this rate it would be buried in no time. When it was waist deep in rock it dug it's hands into the ground directly in front of it, and lifted. It tore out a chunk as big as it was and threw it straight at Layle.

Layle dropped the spell and dodged out of the way, just as the giant hoped.

~*~

Metus watched as the battle unfolded, and mentally kicked himself when Layle dodged. That was the exactly what he was waiting for! He should have taken the shot, but he was having too much fun watching the fight. He hadn't seen a fight like this since those Tipa twerps found Mt. Vellenge.

More unwanted memories. But he got his revenge in the end, oh yes he did.

~*~

Belle watched the frozen wolf shatter and dissolve into miasma, sighing with relief as she did. "Good thing I grabbed that materia," she murmured. Then she heard a loud crushing noise as a slab of earth crashed through the woods, downing trees left and right.

"Layle."

She was half right.

~*~

Layle needed to end this. Fast. "Alright big guy, time to get serious." He focused all his power on his crystal, which started to shine like the sun. A moment later and he had entered his Release state. He was half crystallized and was standing on a crystal surfboard. His crystal was now floating by his right cheek and had an energy wing coming from it. He wouldn't be able to maintain it long, but he should have enough time to take the Mythril Giant down.

~*~

Metus blinked, did that just happen? "Huh," he said to himself, "didn't know they had Red Bull here."

~*~

Belle had just shown up at the battle and was hiding behind a tree. She noticed an armored wolf fighting off a handful of monsters, must be a summon. When she saw Layle enter his Release, she nearly cheered out for him to kick it's butt. But she still had to kick _his_ butt for not telling them he was ok!

~*~

Layle flew upward, just out of the Giant's reach, and used his power to grab this monster by it's head. He dashed skyward, carrying the Giant and a few large trees and rocks with him. He flew higher, and higher, and _higher_, until he was at least a mile into the air. Then he threw the Giant earthward, and started forming the trees and rocks into a massive wedge.

"I'll crush you!" He rode the wedge after the giant, intent on ending this.

~*~

"Oh... Not good." Metus formed wings on his back and flew to a tree further away, if he was anywhere near this he was screwed. Meanwhile Belle was running for it too, and both were going to get him for this one, but in different ways.

~*~

The Mythril Giant hit the ground with a thunderous bang and was quickly crushed to death under the huge mass of wood and stone. The battle ended with a monstrous cloud of debris covering half the woods. "That was a tough one." That's when he noticed the miasma stream was glowing. "Huh," he said walking toward it, "guess the soldiers got the rest of them." He whipped his powers at the portal, closing with a golden drop falling to the ground, burying into the earth.

~*~

Metus had seen it and was disgusted, a Myrrh seed. It won't take long before it grows and starts giving it's bounty. Worst part was, they couldn't be destroyed! The damned things just regenerated any damage done to them. Then he noticed the Selkie from earlier running up to Layle screaming his name. He thought he heard him answer back with a surprised "Belle", but he was too far away. She ran up to him and grabbed him in an embrace, hitting his chest repeatedly.

"Aw, what a cute couple. This couldn't have gone better." He took aim.

~*~

Layle was standing there, utterly exhausted from the battle, when he heard a familiar voice call out his name. He turned and saw her. "Belle?!" She ran up to him and grabbed him in a bear hug,, pounding on his chest.

"You asshole! You complete asshole!" she shouted with each hit. Then she stopped and looked him in the eye, "you can't just disappear like that! You've got people waiting for you!"

Layle was shocked, to say the least. Was this really Belle? "B-Belle..."

Just then she seemed to realize what she was doing and let go, face as red as a beet. "Uh, a-and," she stammered, "you owe me! You can't just not pay me back!" Layle smiled, _this_ was that Belle he knew.

"Heh, you don't have to-"

_BANG!_

**~*~0~*~**

Fear the cliffhanger! FEAR IT I SAY!!!

lol, what a way to repay my reviewers, the mother of all cliffhangers! Want to know what happens? I won't update unless I get at least one review. Although considering I've gotten four reviews in three days, I don't think that'll be an issue. But reviewers get CYBER COOKIES!!! HOORAY FOR THE COOKIES OF THE CYBER WORLD!!!


	3. Gathering Darkness

**Sorry for taking so long, writer's block is evil... Blarg...**

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* * *

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**Gathering Darkness**

_BANG!_

A beam of miasma flew through the air, ripping a hole through Layle's chest.

"LAYLE!!" Belle shrieked. Layle collapsed to the ground, choking on the blood welling in his throat. Belle looked to where the shot had been fired, and saw a red haired Selkie with a sniper rifle. Then she realized he was aiming at her.

"Die." He mouthed and another shot rang out, but Belle dodged to the side just in time. She ran towards where the soldiers were.

"Somebody! Help! Please!" She had felt this once before, this feeling of absolute fear. It was in the Aerial Prison, when Jegran had Keiss and her cornered. Vigalli saved them that time, but he wasn't around to do it again. And this guy was way more dangerous, anyone who could control miasma was.

She ran for the soldiers, praying Layle would hold on. She was almost there, almost safe.

But in her haste, she failed to notice the root in front of her foot.

She tripped and instantly knew it was over, she was going to die. She waited for the inevitable.

But it didn't come.

She looked up, and he was gone. Just gone. She looked around for a bit, awestruck, when she finally remembered Layle. She had to find the soldiers.

~*~

Metus was standing on a floating boulder in a realm of darkness, waiting for the others. He was probably upside down, but he didn't care. He just whished they could have waited a bit, he was inches from a kill. He didn't even get to check out the damage on Layle, but he knew he had done the job. Even if the shot didn't kill him, the miasma would. Lost in his thoughts, he almost missed the giant sphere of dark flame approaching him, a Clavat in dark clothes at it's side.

"Ferum, Boss, how've you been?"

The Clavat looked him over, eventually giving him an icy glare. "Where is the target?"

"Well, I _would _have grabbed him, but I got an emergency summon. So what is it?" Ferum looked to the ball of fire, who answered.

**"We Did Not Summon You."** Metus' surprise was plain on his face, only the employer was able to summon him. **"We've Been Infiltrated. Someone Is Interfering With Our Operations, And Have Even Made Use Of Our Telepathic Links To Protect Our Targets."** At this, Metus smirked.

"Well they didn't do a good job of it. I got him right through the heart. He won't survive."

"Are you certain?"

"Well, I may have missed the heart, he moved. But he'd still be out a lung, and the miasma would still kill him."

~*~

_Layle opened his eyes, and was met by an endless field of snow. He could make out a large building some ways away, signal fires lit. He was near the Monastery._

_"Layle, Bearer of Gravity." He turned to see an Aegylic man stood before him in black cloak, white wings shielding him from the wind. He lowered his hood to reveal a rough, bearded face with a scar running down it's right side. His black hair was streaked with grey, and his eyes were an odd cyan._

_"Don't worry, I'm on your side." Layle was still uncertain though._

_"Who are you? How did I get here? What happened to Belle?!" The man raised a hand, urging him to stay calm._

_"In order, I'm Angeal, you're not here, and Belle is with a group of soldiers getting you to a hospital." Layle's face showed just how confused he was. "I'll explain, don't worry._

_"To start, I was sent by our queen, Minerva, to find you. The enemy was able to find out about you from her earlier contact, after the battle with Jegran. Thankfully, I was able to interfere in their telepathic links, and got that assassin away from you and your friend._

_"Sadly, I wasn't able to do it in time. You were shot through your right lung, if you hadn't shifted at the last moment, you'd be dead. The miasma is spreading through your body, you can't feel it here, but when your mind returns you'll feel it, trust me._

_"The soldiers Belle found had a medic with them, and that's the only reason you've got a shot at making it through this." His voice grew dark._

_"Layle, this is very important. The enemy thinks you for dead, but now your friend will be a target, she has seen too much. You and she must come to the monastery, I will wait for you there." He backed away from him as the blizzard grew more intense, drowning out most other noise._

_"H-hey! Wait!" He could barely hear himself over the wind._

_"You must tell not a soul of our meeting," Angeal's voice sounded in his head, "not even Belle. The enemy's eyes are in every wall, their ears around every corner." With that everything faded to black._

~*~

Belle sat outside the ER in an Alfitarian hospital. She had finally found him, and he gets shot by some whack job. At least she managed to get him here, or else he would have died for sure.

But his chances were still slim to none.

As she sulked over it she realized, this wasn't helping anyone. She had to be strong, he'll pull through, he's a bearer! He's been through worse than this!

But he's never been infected with miasma before...

She mentally kicked herself, she was being sulky again. Selkies don't get sulky! She brought her legs up to her chest and buried her face in her knees.

"Hah... Layle, you'd better get through this..."

"I'm sure he will." Belle's head shot from her knees, and saw Keiss walking towards her. "Althea sent for me as soon as she heard. I don't see her anywhere, so I guess she's still busy doing queen stuff."

While they waited they talked about random little thing, Kiess was trying to get Belle's mind off it. Not an easy task, and it backfired horribly when he accidentally reminded her he owed her 100,000 gil.

"Dammit..."

~*~

In the dark realm of Oblivion there was a citadel. It was made of dark violet crystal, and inside it was mostly hollow. There were orange windows at the top acting as a skylight, while green and black energy streamed through the vast expanses within. A ball of dark flame was floating around the skylight, seemingly lost in thought.

A blonde Clavat in black clothes patterned with flame rode the streams of energy to the top, jumping onto an invisible platform in front of the darkness. The flame noticed his presence and flared in anger at being disturbed.

**"What Is It Ferum?"** Ferum bowed before answering.

"The warriors we sent on collection have returned." The flame chuckled, more to itself than out loud, but it was audible.

**"Very Good."** The flame dissipated and rematerialized outside, Ferrum had warped as well.

A large circular rune with eight more circles radiating from it was etched into a massive stone slab, easily the size of a castle, floating in the infinite darkness. It pulsated with miasmic energy, and eight figures in black and purple robes stood on the lesser circles.

The dark flame assumed position in the center, and the robed figures held up spheres of crimson light. the light left the spheres and were absorbed by the flame bit by bit, until it had all been drained, leaving the orbs dull brown instead. The figures dissipated, and the flame started to shudder.

It began to change form, elongating into a more serpentine figure, a pair of flaming wings sprouting from it's back. It gained arms that, while still flame, seemed to end in menacing talons nonetheless. It's head became defined, a pair of golden lights where it's eyes would be.

When the transformation was complete, it let out a roaring laugh, shedding waves of darkness in the process.

**"Yes!"** he shouted, **"I Am More Powerful Than Ever! My Resurrection Draws Nigh!!!"**

~*~

After nine hours of extensive magical and scientific medication, Layle was relocated to another room, he was stable. Belle was by his bed, and couldn't help but think it was her fault he got shot. If she hadn't distracted him, maybe he would have seen it coming.

Althea had been to see him as well, but had to leave to get the soon to be High Commander and tell him what he needed to do for his inauguration tomorrow. Belle was amazed they didn't already have a new one.

Kiess was there for a good deal of time, but had to get back to the guild, some idiots had started some huge fight. He needed to go see if anyone's dead, and if not kill whoever decided to screw around.

Layle was breathing steadily, and had bandages wrapped around his chest. He would be out for a while longer, but Belle was going to be there when he woke up. The only question was when. They said he could wake up in a minute or in a week!

~*~

Ferum stood before a small group of people in Oblivion. One was Metus, in his usual black clothes. Another was a an older Clavat man in a purple vest and pants, pale green shirt, and a black hat. A large scar of crimson covered the left side of his face. His left arm was covered by a demonic clawed gauntlet, and a small horde of black creatures with orange, green or purple marks on their bodies behind him.

"Ok then," Ferrum began, "Metus. I'll introduce you to the agents that will be aiding us here." He gestured to the Clavat man.

"Ja, ja, I hear jou. I am Larkeicus. And zese," he gestured to the horde, "are my experiments."

"Oh wow," laughed Metus, "you and Caedo would get along great! Hahaha!" Ferum motioned for him to continue.

"Eh, anyvay... I vas summoned by Rajak to put my mind to work for ze employer, and have done so for twenty years." He chuckled a bit to himself before continuing. "I should be dead, jou see. I was obliterated some thousands of years ago.

"But Rajak saved me, he saw zat I could be of use to him, so he sent me here. I have been doing research on the miasma, to see if we could create it. But, only the parasite can, it seems. But, I have found a vay to get more.

"The parasite vas a summoning! A powerful vun at zat. Only ze boss can do it, and he must first be freed from zis place." He adjusted his glasses, "and to do zat, ve must find ze Dark Bearers." Metus scratched his head.

"Dark Bearers?"

"Jes, but not just any Dark Bearer, like jou or me, _ze_ Dark Bearers. Zose who can control ze four elements of Darkness; Fear, Plague, Destruction, and Death. Vunce ve find zem, zey can break ze seal that binds _him_ here," he said as he gestured to the citadel. Metus blinked.

"So, wait... Ferum? Can you translate, this guy's accent is as bad as Caedo's!"

~*~

Meanwhile the dark entity was in his citadel, a Lilty and a Clavat standing on the transparent platform in front of him. The Lilty looked to be in his late twenties, and had a murderous gleam in his eyes. He was dressed from the neck down in dark red armor, his shoulders adorned by black spikes. His green hair was matted with blood, as was his armor in fact. A hellish mace hung at his side.

The Clavat was dressed in a long black coat with gold trim, and had a black hat with gold chain. He held a black scythe in his right hand, the blade was a bloody red. He could be anywhere from 30-40, and his dull grey eyes showed boredom.

They both stood before their master, who had a much more draconian appearance than before, and awaited their briefing. **"Nex, Ruina, I Need You To Find The Crystals Of Plague And Fear. Go, Find Your Crystal's Brethren!"**

With that the two figures warped away to their master's bidding.

**

* * *

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Oh man... This chapter was too short. I try to get between 2,000 & 3,000 words per chapter, but I go for 2,500 as my personal goal. Which I nearly reached, but I still think I could have made it longer. Oh well.

Oh, but the wait, and on a cliffhanger no less!

Please don't hate me! It was the Writer's Block! Hate the crime, not the person!!!

And please review.


	4. On Hold

I hate to do this, but I need to set priorities on my fics. I got started on this mostly due to writer's block on Heart of Darkness (check it out, first fic, but pretty good apparently), and now I can't get back to it. I have decided to finish HoD before continuing with Advent Miasma. Sorry.

On the bright side, if you like Legend of Zelda, HoD may be the thing for you! Btw, it has a character submission, and I could always use a few more characters in there.

Once again, sorry for this, but if I don't I may not get either done! And HoD was here first so... yeah.


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